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An MFP (Multi Function Printer/Product/Peripheral), multifunctional, all-in-one (AIO), or Multifunction Device (MFD), is an office machine which incorporates the functionality of multiple devices in one, so as to have a smaller footprint in a home or small business
Small business

A small business is a business that is independently owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. The legal definition of "small" often varies by country and industry, but is generally under 100 employees in the United States and under 50 employees in the European Union....
 setting (the SOHO
Small office/home office

The modern concept of small office/home office, or SoHo, refers to the category of business which can be from 1 to 10 workers. SOHO can also stand for small or home office or single office/home office....
 market segment), or to provide centralized document management/distribution/production in a large-office setting.






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An MFP (Multi Function Printer/Product/Peripheral), multifunctional, all-in-one (AIO), or Multifunction Device (MFD), is an office machine which incorporates the functionality of multiple devices in one, so as to have a smaller footprint in a home or small business
Small business

A small business is a business that is independently owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. The legal definition of "small" often varies by country and industry, but is generally under 100 employees in the United States and under 50 employees in the European Union....
 setting (the SOHO
Small office/home office

The modern concept of small office/home office, or SoHo, refers to the category of business which can be from 1 to 10 workers. SOHO can also stand for small or home office or single office/home office....
 market segment), or to provide centralized document management/distribution/production in a large-office setting. A typical MFP may act as a combination of some or all of the following devices:

  • Printer
    Computer printer

    File:Lexmark X5100 Series.jpgIn computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a hard copy of documents stored in computer file form, usually on physical print media such as paper or Transparency ....
  • Scanner
    Image scanner

    In computing, a scanner is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital image. Common examples found in offices are variations of the desktop scanner where the document is placed on a glass window for scanning....
  • Photocopier
  • Fax
    Fax

    Fax is a telecommunications technology used to transfer copies of documents, especially using affordable devices operating over the telephone network....
  • E-mail
    E-mail

    Electronic mail, often abbreviated as e-mail, email, E-Mail, or eMail, is any method of creating, transmitting, or storing primarily text-based human communications with digital communications systems....


Note that not all of these manufacturers produce all types of MFP - some may only focus on AIO products, whilst others may only focus on Production Printing, while yet more may cover a wider range.

Types of MFP

Canon Ir2270
MFP manufacturers traditionally divided MFPs in to various segments. The segments roughly divide the MFPs according to their speed in pages per minute (ppm) and duty cycle/robustness. Despite this, many manufacturers are beginning to avoid the segment definition for their products, as speed and basic functionality alone are often not sufficient to differentiate the many features that the devices are capable of. Two color MFPs of a similar speed will be in the same segment, despite having potentially very different feature sets, and therefore very different prices. From a marketing perspective, the manufacturer of the more expensive MFP would want to differentiate their product as much as possible to justify the price difference, and therefore the segment definition is avoided.

Many MFP types, regardless of the category they fall in to, also come in a "printer only" variety, which is the same model without the scanner unit included. This is even the case with devices where the scanner unit physically appears to be highly integrated in to the product.

Today, Multifunction printers are available from just about all printer manufacturers. They are designed for home, small business, enterprise and commercial use. Naturally, the cost, usability, robustness, throughput, output quality, etc. all very with the various use cases. However, they all generally do the same functions; Print, Scan, Fax, and Photocopy. In the commercial/enterprise area, most MFP have used Laser Printer
Laser printer

A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction printers , laser printers employ a Xerography printing process but differ from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of a laser beam acros...
 technology, while in the personal, SOHO environmens, Inkjet Printer
Inkjet printer

File:Canon BJ-10v Lite inkjet printer with Scale.JPGInkjet printers operate by propelling variably-sized droplets of liquid or molten material onto almost any sized page....
 technology has been used. Typically Inkjet printers have struggled with delivering the performance and color saturation demanded by enterprise/large business use. However, HP http://www.hp.com, has recently launched a business grade MFP using Inkjet technology.

In any case, instead of rigidly defined segments based on speed, more general definitions based on intended target audience and capabilities are now becoming much more common. While there is no formal definition, it is common agreed amongst MFP manufacturers that the products fall roughly in to the following categories:

AIO

An AIO is a small desktop unit, designed for home or home office use.

Generally the features an AIO has focus on scan and print functionality for home use, and may come with bundled software for organising photos, simple OCR and other uses of interest to a home user. An AIO will always include the basic functions of Print and Scan, with most also including Copy functionality and a lesser number with Fax capabilities.

AIO devices are usually not networked and are generally connected by USB or Parallel.

An interesting note about AIO devices is that they often have features lacking in the larger devices, due to their target towards home users. These functions include smart card readers, direct connection to digital cameras (e.g. PictBridge
PictBridge

PictBridge is an industry standard from the Camera & Imaging Products Association for direct printing. It allows images to be printed directly from digital cameras to a computer printer, without having to connect the camera to a computer....
 technology) and other similar uses.

The print engine of most AIOs is based on either a home desktop inkjet printer
Inkjet printer

File:Canon BJ-10v Lite inkjet printer with Scale.JPGInkjet printers operate by propelling variably-sized droplets of liquid or molten material onto almost any sized page....
, or a home desktop laser printer
Laser printer

A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction printers , laser printers employ a Xerography printing process but differ from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of a laser beam acros...
. They may be black and white or colour capable.

SOHO MFP

A large desktop or small freestanding unit, designed for Small Office/Home Office use. Often, the form factor of the MFP (desktop or freestanding) depends on the options added, such as extra paper trays or so on.

Generally a SOHO MFP will have basic Print, Copy, Scan and Fax functionality only, but towards the larger end of the scale, may include simple document storage and retrieval, basic authentication functions and so on, making the higher end of the "SOHO" scale difficult to differentiate from the lower end of the "Office" MFP scale.

SOHO MFPs are usually networked, however may also be connected via USB or, less frequently, parallel. SOHO MFPs may have basic finishing functionality such as duplexing, stapling and holepunching, however this is rare. In general, document output offset, sorting and collation are standard capabilities.

By comparison to an AIO, a SOHO MFP is more likely to have an automatic document feeder, greater fax capabilities and faster output performance. Most SOHO MFPs have their history in low end black and white photocopier
Photocopier

A photocopier is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography, a dry process using heat....
s, and the print engine is therefore based around this type of technology.

Office MFP

A mid-sized freestanding unit, designed as a central office system.

These units are usually the most fully featured type of MFP. They include the basic Print, Copy and Scan functions with optional fax functionality as well as networked document storage with security, authentication using common network user credentials, ability to run custom software (often a manufacturer will supply a Software Development Kit
Software development kit

A software development kit is typically a set of development tools that allows a software engineer to create application software for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform....
), advanced network scan destinations such as FTP, WebDAV
WebDAV

Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning, or WebDAV, is a set of extensions to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol that allows users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote World Wide Web servers....
, Email, SMB
Server Message Block

In computer networking, Server Message Block operates as an Application layer mainly used to provide shared access to Computer file, Computer printer, serial ports, and miscellaneous communications between nodes on a network....
 and NFS stores, encryption for data transmission and so on.

Office MFPs usually have moderately advanced finishing functions as options such as duplexing, stapling, holepunching, offset modes and booklet creation.

Office MFPs are almost always networked, however some have optional or standard (but infrequently used) USB and parallel
IEEE 1284

IEEE 1284 is a standard that defines bi-directional parallel communications between computers and other devices. In the 1970s, Centronics developed the now-familiar printer parallel port that soon became a de facto standard....
 connections. Most Office MFPs have their history in mid range photocopier
Photocopier

A photocopier is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography, a dry process using heat....
s (both colour and black and white), and the print engine is therefore based around this type of technology, however, Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard

The Hewlett-Packard Company , commonly referred to as HP, is a technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, United States....
 recently introduced two Office MFPs based on fixed head Inkjet technology.

Production Printing MFP

A large sized freestanding unit, designed as a central printing device or reprographic department device.

These devices, while far larger and more expensive than Office MFPs, generally do not have all of the advanced network functionality of their smaller relations. They instead concentrate on high speed, high quality output, and highly advanced finishing functionality including book creation with cover insertion (including hot-glue binding) and so on. Production Printing itself is often further divided in to "light" production printing and "heavy" production printing, with the differentiating factor being the speed. A 100ppm device for example, falls in to the light Production Printing category by the standards of most manufacturers.

Because of the focus on printing, while most Production Printing MFPs have a scanner, it is infrequently used and often only has very basic functionality.

There are a variety of different print engines for Production Printing MFPs, however in the "light" end of the Production Printing market, most are based on the large Office MFPs, which themselves are based on photocopier
Photocopier

A photocopier is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography, a dry process using heat....
 technology as described above.

Production Printing MFPs may also be known as "Print on Demand
Print on demand

Print on demand , sometimes called publish on demand, is a printing technology and business process in which new copies of a book are not printed until an order has been received....
" devices, or "Digital presses". This latter term can also be used to refer to the print controller controlling the MFP however.

Characteristics

It is useful to consider the features and functions of an MFP before integrating it in to a home or office environment. It is possible to have an MFP with almost all of the features and functions listed below, however a typical AIO or SOHO MFP is unlikely to incorporate many of these.

An (incomplete) list of features that an MFP may offer or will vary depending on the MFP under consideration (in any segment):

Print features/functions

  • Input
    • Printer driver
      Printer driver

      In computers, a printer driver or a print processor is a piece of software that converts the data to be printed to the form specific to a computer printer....
      s available for different operating systems
    • PDL
      Page description language

      A page description language is a language that describes the appearance of a printed page in a higher level than an actual output bitmap. An overlapping term is printer control language, but it should not be confused as referring solely to Hewlett-Packard's PCL....
      s (PostScript
      PostScript

      PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. PostScript is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas....
      , PCL
      Printer Command Language

      Printer Command Language, more commonly referred to as PCL, is a Page description language developed by HP as a computer printer protocol and has become a de facto industry standard....
      , XPS
      XML Paper Specification

      The XML Paper Specification , formerly codenamed "Metro", is a specification for a page description language and a fixed-document format developed by Microsoft....
       etc) and direct interpreters (PDF, TIFF, etc) supported
    • Network, USB, Parallel or other connection types
    • Network print types available (Raw, LPR
      Line Printer Daemon protocol

      The Line Printer Daemon protocol/Line Printer Remote protocol also known as the Berkeley printing system, is a set of programs that provide printer spooling and network print server functionality for Unix-like systems....
      , IPP
      Internet Printing Protocol

      The Internet Printing Protocol is a standard Protocol for remote printing as well as managing print jobs, media size, , and so forth.Like all Internet Protocol-based protocols, IPP can be used locally or over the Internet to printers hundreds or thousands of miles away....
      , FTP printing, print via email etc)
  • Output
    • Printing speed (typically given in pages per minute or ppm)
    • Printer technology (e.g. InkJet
      Inkjet printer

      File:Canon BJ-10v Lite inkjet printer with Scale.JPGInkjet printers operate by propelling variably-sized droplets of liquid or molten material onto almost any sized page....
      /Laser
      Laser printer

      A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction printers , laser printers employ a Xerography printing process but differ from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of a laser beam acros...
      /Color Laser)
    • Paper formats (what kind of paper sizes and stocks the MFP can output)
    • Direct CD/DVD Label Printing (usually only available on some InkJet
      Inkjet printer

      File:Canon BJ-10v Lite inkjet printer with Scale.JPGInkjet printers operate by propelling variably-sized droplets of liquid or molten material onto almost any sized page....
       AIO models)
    • Resolution DPI
      Dots per inch

      Dots per inch is a measure of spatial printing or video dot density, in particular the number of individual dots that can be placed within the span of one linear inch The DPI value tends to correlate with , but is related only indirectly....
       - this is an important metric for both printing and scanning quality. (note that print DPI is rarely greater than 600dpi actual. Some MFPs use a system similar to sub-pixel rendering on computer displays to give "enhanced" resolutions of 1200x600 or 1800x600, however it is important to note that this is not a true resolution)
    • Duplex printing
      Duplex printing

      Duplex printing is a feature of computer printers and Multifunction printer that allows the automatic printing of a sheet of paper on both sides....
       capability - Whether the MFP can print on both sides of a sheet of paper without manual intervention by the user.
    • Ability to print directly to the MFPs internal storage function
    • Capability of using the MFPs finishing functions (see below under Copy features/functions)


Scan features/functions

  • Input
    • Automatic Document Feeder
      Automatic Document Feeder

      In multifunction printer, fax machines, photocopiers and scanners, Automatic Document Feeder or ADF is a feature which takes several pages and feeds the paper one page at a time into the scanner, allowing the user to scan multiple-page documents without having to manually replace each page....
       (ADF) - this allows multiple sheets of paper to be input without manually placing each piece of paper on the platen glass.
    • Duplex scanning
      Duplex scanning

      Duplex scanning is a feature of s and Multifunction printer that allows the automatic scanning of a sheet of paper on both sides. Devices without this capability can only scan a single side of a sheet of paper at a time....
       capability (depends on the ADF) - Whether the MFP can scan both ides of a sheet of paper without manual intervention by the user.
    • Ability to retrieve a document from internal storage and send it as if it was a new "scan"
  • Output
    • Scan transfer methods available (e.g. FTP, WebDAV
      WebDAV

      Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning, or WebDAV, is a set of extensions to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol that allows users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote World Wide Web servers....
      , Email, SMB
      Server Message Block

      In computer networking, Server Message Block operates as an Application layer mainly used to provide shared access to Computer file, Computer printer, serial ports, and miscellaneous communications between nodes on a network....
      , NFS, TWAIN
      TWAIN

      TWAIN is a standard software protocol and applications programming interface that regulates communication between software applications and imaging devices such as and digital cameras....
      )
    • Scan file formats available (e.g. PDF, TIFF, JPEG
      JPEG

      In computing, JPEG is a commonly used method of for photographic images. The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality....
      , XPS
      XML Paper Specification

      The XML Paper Specification , formerly codenamed "Metro", is a specification for a page description language and a fixed-document format developed by Microsoft....
      , etc)
    • Security of scanned documents - such as PDF encryption, digital signature
      Digital signature

      A digital signature or digital signature scheme is a type of asymmetric key algorithm. For messages sent through an insecure channel, a properly implemented digital signature gives the receiver reason to believe the message was sent by the claimed sender....
      s and so on.


Fax features/functions

  • Cordless telephone
    Cordless telephone

    File:Phone.svgA cordless telephone or portable telephone is a telephone with a wireless handset that communicates via radio waves with a base station connected to a fixed telephone line, usually within a limited range of its base station ....
     (generally only a consideration for AIO or smaller SOHO products)
  • Answering machine
    Answering machine

    An answering machine, also known as an answerphone , and sometimes/formerly ansaphone or ansafone or telephone answering device , is a device invented in 1935, by Benjamin Thornton, and independently in Switzerland by Willy Mueller....
  • Color Fax capability
  • TCP
    Transmission Control Protocol

    The Transmission Control Protocol is one of the core protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite. TCP is so central that the entire suite is often referred to as "TCP/IP"....
    /IP
    Internet protocol

    Internet protocol may refer to:*The Internet Protocol, a specific protocol implementation in the Internet protocol suite*The Internet protocol suite, a set of communications protocols that are used for the Internet...
     Fax methods such as SIP Fax (Fax over IP), Network Fax (via SMTP), Internet Fax and so on
  • PC Fax send and receive capability


Copy features/functions

  • Document Finishing capabilities
    • Duplex output
    • Stapling
      • Single point
      • Two point
      • Staple positioning
    • Holepunching
      • US holepunch or international
      • Number of holes (2/3/4)
    • Folding
      • Half fold / crease
      • Fold and centre staple (for Booklet pagination)
      • Cover insertion for booklets
      • Cover binding (generally only available on production printing models) - differs from "cover insertion", in that a cover is physically bound to the book instead of simply placing it around the other pages. Cover binding often uses hot glue to bind the cover to the finished book.
      • Trimming for folded documents to avoid "creep"
      • Tri-fold / Envelope-folding
  • Document editing modes
    • n-in-one (2 in 1, 4 in 1 etc)
    • Booklet pagination / "perfect binding" booklet pagination
    • Page numbering / text & image stamping / watermarking
    • Image scaling / rotation
  • Plus, see items under "Print features/functions" output and "Scan features/functions" input


Document storage features/functions

  • Documents storage capability the MFP
  • Storage (HDD) capacity
  • User authentication for the stored document, and any relationship to the user authentication of the MFP (e.g. Network authentication with a server or custom software, internal only, etc)


Network features/functions

  • Wireless network capability
  • Active Directory
    Active Directory

    Active Directory is a technology created by Microsoft that provides a variety of network services, including:* Lightweight Directory Access Protocol-like directory services...
     or other authentication functionality
  • Data encryption
  • IPv6
    IPv6

    Internet Protocol version 6 is the next-generation Internet layer protocol for packet -switched internetworking and the Internet. IPv4 is the dominant Internet Protocol version, and was the first to receive widespread use....
     support
  • SNMP support - both private and public MIB
    Management information base

    A management information base stems from the Open Systems Interconnection/ISO Network management model and is a type of database used to manage the devices in a communications network....
     specifications


Other features/functions

  • Software - Many MFPs support advanced functionality through third party software such as optical character recognition
    Optical character recognition

    Optical character recognition, usually abbreviated to OCR, is the mechanical or Electronics translation of s of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-editable text....
    . In some cases, these software components are not specific to the MFP being used, however it is important to determine this, as in other cases proprietary technologies are used that effectively tie the software to the platform.
  • SDK
    SDK

    SDK may refer to:* Slovak Democratic Coalition* Software development kit...
     availability and licensing model
  • User interface - By their nature, MFPs are complex devices. Many MFPs now include LCD screens and other user interface aids. Generally, AIO and SOHO products contain simple LCD displays, while Office MFPs contain advanced LCD panels resembling a custom computer-like user interface (some MFPs also offer optional Keyboard_(computing)
    Keyboard

    Keyboard may refer to:* Alphanumeric keyboard* Keyboard , a set of alphanumeric and command keys used to input information to a computer* Musical keyboard, a set of adjacent keys or levers used to play a musical instrument...
     and Mouse_(computing)
    Mouse

    A mouse is a small animal that belongs to one of numerous species of rodents. The best known mouse species is the House Mouse . It is also a popular pet....
     attachments).


Internal Architecture


Hardware

MFPs, like most external computer peripherals that are capable of functioning without the computer, are essentially a type of computer
Computer

A computer is a machine that manipulates Data according to a list of Code .The first devices that resemble modern computers date to the mid-20th century , although the computer concept and various machines similar to computers existed earlier....
 themselves. They contain memory
Ram

Ram, ram, or RAM as a non-acronymic wordAs a non-acronymic word Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to:...
, one or more processors, and often some kind of storage, such as a hard disk drive or flash memory
Flash memory

Flash memory is a non-volatile memory computer storage that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It is a technology that is primarily used in memory cards and USB flash drives for general storage and transfer of data between computers and other digital products....
.

As mentioned in the Types of MFP section, the physical print engine may be based on several technologies, however most larger MFPs are an evolution of a digital photocopier
Photocopier

A photocopier is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography, a dry process using heat....
.

Software

MFPs also run a set of instructions from their internal storage, which is comparable to a computer's operating system
Operating system

An operating system is an interface between hardware and applications; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the limited resources of the computer....
.

Generally, as the size and complexity of an MFP increases, the more like a computer the device becomes. It is uncommon for a small AIO or even a SOHO MFP to use a general purpose operating system
Operating system

An operating system is an interface between hardware and applications; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the limited resources of the computer....
, however many larger MFPs run GNU/Linux
Linux

Linux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed by anyone under the terms of the GNU GPL license...
 or VxWorks
VxWorks

VxWorks is a real-time operating system operating system made and sold by Wind River Systems of Alameda, California, California, USA.VxWorks is designed for use in embedded systems....
.

Additionally, many print controllers, separate, but integral to the MFP, also run computer operating system
Operating system

An operating system is an interface between hardware and applications; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the limited resources of the computer....
s, with GNU/Linux
Linux

Linux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed by anyone under the terms of the GNU GPL license...
 and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces ....
 (often Windows NT 4.0 Embedded, Windows XP Embedded) and even Mac OS X
Mac OS X

Mac OS X is a line of computer operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc., and since 2002 has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems....
 sometimes being used.

On top of the core operating system
Operating system

An operating system is an interface between hardware and applications; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the limited resources of the computer....
 and firmware
Firmware

Firmware is a term sometimes used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs that internally control various electronic devices. Typical examples range from end user products such as remote controls or calculators, via computer parts and devices like harddisks, keyboard s, TFT screens or memory cards, all the way to scientific instr...
, the MFP will also provide several functions, equivalent to applications
Application software

Application software is any tool that functions and is operated by means of a computer, with the purpose of supporting or improving the software user 's work....
 or in some cases daemons
Daemon (computer software)

In Unix and other computer computer multitasking operating systems, a daemon is a computer program that runs in the background , rather than under the direct control of a user; they are usually initiated as background Computer processes....
 or services
Windows Service

On Microsoft Windows operating systems, a Windows service is a long-running executable that performs specific functions and which is designed not to require user intervention....
.

These functions may include (amongst many others):
  • MFP Panel control for user input
  • Bytecode
    Bytecode

    Bytecode is a term which has been used to denote various forms of instruction sets designed for efficient execution by a software Interpreter as well as being suitable for further compilation into machine language....
     interpreters or virtual machine
    Virtual machine

    In computer science, a virtual machine is a software implementation of a machine that executes programs like a real machine.Definitions...
    s for internally hosted third party applications
  • Web server
    Web server

    The term web server can mean one of two things:# A computer program that is responsible for accepting Hypertext Transfer Protocol requests from clients , and Server them HTTP responses along with optional data contents, which usually are web pages such as Hypertext Markup Language documents and linked objects ....
     for remote management functions
  • Network service clients
    Client (computing)

    A client is an Application software or system that accesses a remote service on another computer system, known as a Server , by way of a Computer network....
     for sending of documents to different destinations
  • Network service servers
    Server (computing)

    A server is a computer program that provides services to other computer programs , in the same or other computer. The physical computer that runs a server program is also often referred to as server....
     for receiving documents for print or storage
  • Image conversion and processing functions
  • Raster image processing functions (although, often this task is handled by a separate print controller unit instead)


Software

Computer systems equipped with the proper software must be able to take advantage of the MFP's capabilities, an important requirement to research when considering integrating an MFP with an existing office. Some or all of the following functionality might be provided:

  • Device administration and configuration
  • Monitoring of print quotas, toner/ink levels etc.
  • Document type/paper input mode selection
  • Document imaging
    Document imaging

    Document Imaging is an information technology category for systems capable of replicating documents commonly used in business. Document Imaging Systems can take many forms including microfilm, on demand printers, facsimile machines, copiers, multifunction printers, document , Computer Output Microfilm and archive writers....
    , such as ad hoc scanning
  • Document management
    Document management system

    A document management system is a computer system used to track and store electronic documents and/or digital images of paper documents. The term has some overlap with the concepts of content management systems and is often viewed as a component of enterprise content management systems and related to digital asset management, document ima...
     such as remote scanning, document type conversion from text to PDF, OCR
    Optical character recognition

    Optical character recognition, usually abbreviated to OCR, is the mechanical or Electronics translation of s of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-editable text....
    , etc.


Software Development Kits

In addition to specific software packages, many vendors also provide the ability for the user to develop software to communicate with the MFP through a Software Development Kit
Software development kit

A software development kit is typically a set of development tools that allows a software engineer to create application software for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform....
. Different vendors have different licensing models, from completely "closed" proprietary systems (often with large costs involved) to open strategies with no direct cost involved. An incomplete list of these technologies is:
  • Canon MEAP (Multifunctional Embedded Application Platform)
  • Konica Minolta OpenAPI
    Konica Minolta OpenAPI

    Konica Minolta OpenAPI is a proprietary API communication system that allows software application developers to create applications that communicate with Konica Minolta Multifunction_printer....
  • Sharp OSA (Open Systems Architecture)
  • Xerox EIP (Extensible Interface Platform)
  • Samsung J-Scribe
  • HP GlazeBurg API
  • Ricoh’s Device SDK


In general, these technologies fall in to one of two technical models - Server based, or MFP internal software.

Server based technologies use a method to communicate information to and from the MFP (often SOAP
SOAP

SOAP, originally defined as Simple Object Access Protocol, is a protocol specification for exchanging structured information in the implementation of Web Services in computer networks....
/XML based), running the operating code on a suitably powered computer on the network. This method has the advantage of being very flexible, in that the software is free to do anything that the developer can make the computer do. The only limit from the MFP itself is the capability of the MFP to display a user interface to the workings of the application. As many of the applications are based around custom printing, scanning and authentication requirements, the MFP manufacturers that use this method gravitate towards these core technologies in the user interface.

MFP internal software, by comparison, has the advantage of not requiring anything outside of the MFP. The software runs within the MFP itself and so even a complete network outage will not disrupt the software from working (unless of course the software requires a network connection for other reasons). MFP internal software is often, but not always, Java
Java (programming language)

Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java ....
 based and runs in a Java Virtual Machine
Java Virtual Machine

A Java Virtual Machine is a set of computer software programs and data structures which use a virtual machine model for the execution of other computer programs and Scripting language....
 within the MFP. The negative side to this kind of software is usually that it is much more limited in capabilities than Server based systems.

See also

  • PictBridge
    PictBridge

    PictBridge is an industry standard from the Camera & Imaging Products Association for direct printing. It allows images to be printed directly from digital cameras to a computer printer, without having to connect the camera to a computer....
     allows images to be printed directly from digital cameras to a printer, without a computer.
  • Computer printer
    Computer printer

    File:Lexmark X5100 Series.jpgIn computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a hard copy of documents stored in computer file form, usually on physical print media such as paper or Transparency ....
  • Copier and MFP Market Segments